[spkrs01]

hi all. 1st post! bought a pair of 4s yesterday on the back of this forum to use with a recently purchased motorola xoom, here in hong kong. the xoom is an excellent music player especially with an equalizer app to flatten the preset bass and treble boast. 
 
back to the w4s. 
 
i didnt even bother listening to other competitive iems and knew i had made the right decision. the way the shop  pushed the ie8, 535, umx3 and priced them 10-15% lower than the w4s suggests to me that new flagship or replacement models were due from these companies and according to the sales person every pair sounded better than the w4s. go figure??
 
have been an audiophile for a long long time,  but never ventured into iem before. 1st impressions - very nice. will let them settle before writing something more critical and extensive.
 
thanks again to fellow forum members.
 
spkrs01
 
ps embarrassed to admit but before reading this forum, have never head of westone
 
 
 

 

[zhunter]

^
Well, my first post too , I've been lurking here for a long time just for reading review and impressions and I wanted to share some impressions about my new W4 compare to UM3X, using source on PC via Leckerton UHA-4 DAC/amp.
 
Out of the box, it sounds a little dark and muddy, mid and vocal is a little laid back compare to UM3X,a forwarded mid iem. The soundstage is much wider, neutral, separation is pretty good, bass is more controlled, punchy, and deeper. But I still prefer the UM3X's mid, so I let it burned for 2 days and hoping for some miracle changes.
 
Ok, after 2 days of burning, I really really love my new W4 now ... it sounds just amazingly, love it more than UM3X now tbh.... btw UM3X is still  unbeatable in the mid range, really sweet vocal.
 

 

[thrice12]

My iPhone 4 seems slightly underpowered when using my W4's, especially compared to my MBP.  Do these require an amp to fully drive them from an iPhone?

 

[shotgunshane]

I think they sound really good on the iPhone 4, however I do like a bit more sub bass presence.  To remedy that I use Equalizer (or EQu if you prefer) to add a sub bass kick.  I also like to use the digiZoid zo with them.  It is the ultimate bass tool.
 
Quote:

My iPhone 4 seems slightly underpowered when using my W4's, especially compared to my MBP.  Do these require an amp to fully drive them from an iPhone?

 

 

[WisdomListens]

Quote:

My iPhone 4 seems slightly underpowered when using my W4's, especially compared to my MBP.  Do these require an amp to fully drive them from an iPhone?

I agree it is slightly underpowered with just the iPhone 4 but just slightly.

 

[Ruzz]

guys, what is considered the "best" foam tips to go with the westone4?

 

[shotgunshane]

Shure Olives
EABKF1-10M  (replaces PA910M)
http://www.amazon.com/Shure-PA910M-Replacement-SE530PTH-Earphones/dp/B000NDHIKY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307324829&sr=8-1

 

[Ruzz]

why and how is its durability like?

 

[fomoz]

No problems here with power, if you mean by that enough volume. No amp required in my view. I also use EQu (and shane's settings in fact), but even without EQu, they get plenty loud for me. I also use custom sleeves, which may make a difference, not sure.
 


 

i wouldn't say that they require an amp, but they are just so much better with my Voyager (Contour on for EDM).

 

[shotgunshane]

why and how is its durability like?

I prefer silcone tips but have used the olives a lot in the past. The Shure olives last a lot longer than Complys for me. If you do a search on this tread for olives, you'll see several posts, by many members, about the preference for the olives on the W4.

 

[shotgunshane]

I just wanted to let all you W4 owners know about a tip/sleeve that works perfectly with the W4. The new Earsonics bi-flange. It has a much larger sound bore/hole and of course will fit the W4 without modification.

I normally don't like bi or tri-flange tips but these are very comfortable. They do not envy much from my custom UM56 sleeves. In fact, mids and treble on the ES bi-flange are equal in quality and the UM56's are only slightly better, I mean very slightly, in the bass end due to better isolation. However the bass is just as tight sounding on the bi-flanges. These really open up the W4 treble.

As far as I know you can only order them directly from Earsonics. They are 2 euro a pair. I highly recommend them; they sound great!

 

[Confispect]

^ Congrats.
 
I've been wondering how things where going with your W4's.
 
I was just about to blow up your PM.

 

[javahut]

Quote:

I just wanted to let all you W4 owners know about a tip/sleeve that works perfectly with the W4. The new Earsonics bi-flange. It has a much larger sound bore/hole and of course will fit the W4 without modification.

Yeah, I've been gonna say something about this. I ordered some Earsonics bi-flanges along with a few other tips from Earsonics a few months ago, and they've just been setting on my desk. I noticed a few weeks ago that on the bi-flanges, the actual sound hole that goes in the ear canal is larger than the typical Shure flange tips. I was gonna wait to see if they actually made any improvement before I said anything about them, though. Now I guess I for sure need to get around to trying all those Earsonics tips out!
 

 

[Audiophile1811]

Quote:

I just wanted to let all you W4 owners know about a tip/sleeve that works perfectly with the W4. The new Earsonics bi-flange. It has a much larger sound bore/hole and of course will fit the W4 without modification.

I normally don't like bi or tri-flange tips but these are very comfortable. They do not envy much from my custom UM56 sleeves. In fact, mids and treble on the ES bi-flange are equal in quality and the UM56's are only slightly better, I mean very slightly, in the bass end due to better isolation. However the bass is just as tight sounding on the bi-flanges. These really open up the W4 treble.

As far as I know you can only order them directly from Earsonics. They are 2 euro a pair. I highly recommend them; they sound great!

 
Do you mean these? 
 
- http://www.earsonics.com/osc/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3&products_id=59&PHPSESSID=376521102bc42273a4152107b5cf4791
 

 

[shotgunshane]

Yes, those are the tips.